Sculpting Paradise: The Collection Of Marie Lalanne – Sale Total: $77,043,008

Highest-ever design sale total at Christie’s 18 lots sold above $1 Million.

Christie’s was thrilled to present Sculpting Paradise: The Collection of Marie Lalanne, the first dedicated Lalanne sale in the United States. Live in Christie’s storied Rockefeller Center saleroom, the auction showcased an exceptional group of works by twentieth-century icons Claude & François-Xavier Lalanne from the private collection of their daughter.

In total, the sale achieved $77,043,008. It was 100% sold, 319% above the low estimate, with 88% of lots selling above the high estimate. Eighteen works sold for more than $1 million. The sale saw a strong depth of bidding across seven hours, with eager and engaged bidders in the room, on the phones, and online. Twenty per cent of registrants were new to Christie’s.

The top lot of the sale was Âne Planté, which sold for $8,405,000, more than 28 times its low estimate and a world record for the model. Les Trois Grands Moutons de Peter was the second highest price of the day, achieving $6,300,000, more than four times its low estimate. Grand Requin, La Grande Ourse also saw strong results, each selling for $3,660,000.

Daphné Riou, Senior Specialist and Head of Design, at Christie’s Americas, comments, “It was an absolute honour to present Sculpting Paradise: The Collection of Marie Lalanne, an unmatched group of artworks created by her parents, Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne.

Les Lalanne stands among Brancusi, Max Ernst, and Yves Klein as giants of the 20th century, and we were thrilled to see our clients respond with the excitement that we know these icons deserve. We were also quite pleased to see buyers coming from all around the world, with nearly a fifth of the bidders new to Christie’s – truly demonstrating that the power and impact of Les Lalanne are deeply felt on a global scale.”

Notable Highlights

Christies

editor

Christie’s, the world's leading art business, had auction sales in the first half of 2019 that totalled £2.2 billion / $2.8 billion. Christie’s is a name and place that speaks of extraordinary art, unparalleled service and international expertise. Christie’s offers around 350 auctions annually in over 80 categories, including all areas of fine and decorative arts, jewellery, photographs, collectables, wine, and more. Prices range from $200 to over $100 million. Christie's also has a long and successful history conducting private sales for its clients in all categories, with emphasis on Post-War & Contemporary, Impressionist & Modern, Old Masters and Jewellery.